The 2016 Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Awardees are
First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Seattle,
led by Senior Pastor Carey G. Anderson
and
Marty Hartman
Executive Director of Mary's Place
Please join us at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, October 22 for a free community celebration of the awardees during the Weaving Our Strengths Conference. RSVP to Ann is helpful but not necessary.
The Church Council of Greater Seattle honors First African Methodist Episcopal Church (FAME), Seattle, led by Senior Pastor Carey G. Anderson, with its 2016 Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Award for a Congregation. FAME’s historical legacy as a center of spiritual worship and formation focused outward in service, mission and civil rights has continued to its present community leadership in building bridges toward the Beloved Community rooted in love and justice. FAME is a font of welcome and a hub for faithful action.
Established in 1886 when Washington was still a territory, FAME is the state’s oldest black church. Initially members began by meeting in each other’s homes – meetings that led to the opening of a home-based Sunday School for children. This year, they celebrate 130 years of active ministry, service and leadership in the City of Seattle, along with their South Campus in Kent.
In addition to its spiritual work, the church is active in the community. FAME has given birth to a housing corporation (FAME Housing Corp), children’s educational programs (Education Enhancement and FAME Child Development Center), and the MLK Family Arts Mentoring Enrichment Community Center (MLK FAME Community Center). They recently opened an overnight shelter in the church building in partnership with Union Gospel Mission.
FAME Church blazes the path of bringing healing and unity to our community. In the wake of last year’s horrific shooting and massacre at FAME’s sister church, Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, FAME promptly brought the community together to grieve and to take action. They held a public, interfaith vigil on June 18, the March for Solidarity with Charleston Nine on July 7, and the Round-table Dialogue on Race that followed on July 11, 2015.
FAME continues to “engage[s] our community in meaningful discussions to bring about racial harmony, deeper understanding, peace in the streets and intentional legislative reforms” as host and convener of community dialogues, bringing together hundreds of local residents to learn from each other and discern action on race, hate crimes, social and economic equity and justice. The church played a key role in welcoming Bryan Stevenson, author of Just Mercy and founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, to Seattle.
This quote from FAME’s website aptly puts the church’s enduring commitment: “In the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.”- Nigerian Proverb
As a model of building bridges as a community of faith toward a just and equitable future for all, the Church Council of Greater Seattle is proud to award First African Methodist Episcopal Church, led by Senior Pastor Carey G. Anderson, the 2016 Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Award for a Congregation.
The Church Council of Greater Seattle honors Marty Hartman with its 2016 Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Award for an Individual. Marty embodies the pioneering work that the Gertrude Apel award connotes, meeting the needs of homeless families and turning crisis into opportunity. Her commitment, knowledge, passion, creativity, innovation, and building of connections has led to the expansion of programs to meet the needs of vulnerable women and children, most notably through Mary’s Place where she has been Executive Director since 2009, and manager of the day center when the program began in 1999.
Marty’s deep respect for and successful accompaniment of vulnerable women and children has transformed the continuum of care for people experiencing homelessness. From the beginning, she worked in partnership with homeless women to discern and act on what is most needed, starting with a place of respite to address the grief, fear, and stresses faced.
Over the following 17 years, Marty would play a pivotal role in expanding the offerings of what was originally one day shelter to the hub of services for homeless women, families, and children that Mary’s Place is today, including two day centers, six emergency family night shelters that house 400 family members each night, and countless services offered to address the needs of homeless people.
Marty works tirelessly to keep the need for family shelter before stakeholders in the community and local government and never stops thinking about the over 400 families who are still sleeping outside each night and how to build partnerships in the community to bring them inside, safe and together. Many of the services offered by Mary’s Place are provided through creative and collaborative efforts with businesses, government, congregations, and advocacy groups, shepherded through by Marty.
Recently Marty has received the 2016 Ginger Ackerley Community Service Award, given by the Seattle Storm to an individual who has had a measurable impact on improving the quality of life in Puget Sound through a significant and sustained record of volunteer service to the areas’ youth. In 2014, she was awarded the “Extraordinary Executive Director” Light A Fire Award by Seattle Met.
We are humbled to honor Marty Hartman with the 2016 Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Award for an Individual.
The Rev. Gertrude Apel
In 1930, during a time of major economic depression, the Rev. Gertrude Apel was the first General Secretary of what would become the Church Council of Greater Seattle. Rev. Apel was a tireless ecumenical leader and an amazing organizer who had a talent for fostering cooperation and always getting things done.
The Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Award
The Rev. Gertrude Apel Pioneering Spirit Award has been presented since the Church Council of Greater Seattle's 90th Birthday celebration in 2009. It is awarded to an individual and a congregation/organization who embodies Rev. Apel's spirit and lives out their faith in the social justice/community service arena.
Previous Recipients
2015:
Killian Noe, Co-Founder, The Recovery Café -- Creating space for healing & wholeness
St. Matthew / San Mateo Episcopal Church in Auburn -- Bilingual, bicultural model of immigrant accompaniment
2014:
The Rev. Jan Bolerjack, Pastor, Riverton Park United Methodist Church -- Risk-taker for economic justice
University Lutheran Church -- Embodies service and justice as part of a faith-filled vision
2013:
The Rev. David Mesenbring -- Life of justice across the continents in South Africa and through Oikocredit
Renton Ecumenical Association of Churches (REACH) -- Model of ecumenical fellowship and service
2012:
Sr. Julie Codd, CSJP -- Working from the heart with Native American communities
The Youth Chaplaincy Coalition, led by the Rev. Terri Stewart -- Pioneering embrace of young people who experience detention
2011:
The Rev. Rich Lang, Pastor of University Temple United Methodist Church -- Prophetic voice for social justice
Skyway United Methodist Church, led by the Rev. Steve Baber -- Organizing for equity and justice for all
2010:
Fr. Tony Haycock, Pastor of St. Mary's Church -- Honoring the dignity of the Spanish-speaking community, seafarers, and all God's people
Seattle Mennonite Church -- Taking the church into the neighborhood and expanding the notion of neighbor
2009:
The Rev. Jon and Juni Nelson -- Transforming forces for social change who bent the arc of justice